Barnsley are undergoing a summer of turnover with new head coach Conor Hourihane and could be about to see midfielder Jon Russell depart Oakwell.
The 24-year-old Jamaican international featured prominently for the Tykes last season and is now attracting interest from several Championship sides, with Derby County, Oxford United, Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City all keen on a move for him.
The former Chelsea academy player scored 11 goals in League One in the 2024/25 season as Barnsley finished in 12th position and may now make the step up to the second tier, as reported by Football League World.
Four sides targeting impressive midfielder
Russell cemented himself into Barnsley’s team last season, making 46 appearances in all competitions and playing more minutes in the league than all but three of his teammates.
He was their second-top scorer behind Davis Keillor-Dunn, who hit 18 goals, and had the team’s best shot conversion rate (20%) out of players to score more than one goal.
After arriving from Huddersfield Town in January 2023, for who he was on the losing side in the 2021/22 Championship play-off final, he has made 93 appearances and scored 14 goals for the club.
He made his international debut for Jamaica two years ago and has gone on to score four goals in 10 matches, including one in their recent CONCACAF Gold Cup victory over Guadeloupe. However, the Reggae Boyz failed to advance past the group stage.
Out of the four sides interested in him, Blackburn finished the highest in the second tier last season, ending the campaign in seventh position, just two points outside the play-offs.
Derby, Oxford and Stoke all finished in the bottom eight but managed to retain their Championship status and are now heading into their first full seasons under their respective managers, after John Eustace, Gary Rowett and Mark Robins were all appointed partway through the 2024/25 campaign.
What type of player is Russell?
The 6ft 4 in midfielder contributed heavily to Barnsley’s attacking play last season and also broke up play and distributed the ball well.
His 11 goals came from an expected goals (XG) of just 5.89, meaning he overperformed by 5.11, which was higher than all but three players in the division (Kwame Poku, Keillor-Dunn and Louis Barry), according to Opta.
In possession, he had the Reds’ second-best pass completion rate (80.6%) and third-highest in the final third (74.8%).
He was not that progressive when carrying the ball but did work hard defensively, making more tackles (71) than all of his teammates and winning back possession 162 times, which ranked him in the club’s top four.
Which clubs need a new midfielder?
With four sides interested in him, Russell has plenty of options if he wishes to make a move back to the Championship.
First of all, Derby need a new central midfielder following the departure of Everton loanee Harrison Armstrong, who impressed in his short loan spell. They only have Kenzo Goudmijn, Ebou Adams and Ben Osborn currently tied down so Russell would be a much-needed addition in the middle of the pitch.
Despite Stoke losing Jordan Thompson to Preston North End, they still have the services of Wouter Berger, Lewis Baker, Ben Pearson, Souleymane Sidibe and Tatsuki Seko in midfield, so it is unlikely to be an immediate area of concern for them.
Elsewhere, Oxford are already well-stocked in midfield areas with the likes of Will Vaulks, Louie Sibley and Cameron Brannagan controlling the area where Russell would want to operate.
Finally, Blackburn possess the likes of Lewis Travis, John Buckley, Sondre Tronstad, Adam Forshaw and new signing Sidnei Tavares, although the former has been linked with a move to recently-promoted Wrexham.
Therefore, it would appear that Derby are the side who would be most interested in signing Russell and he would have space to fit into their side, so a move to the Rams could be on the cards this summer.